Multifeed coil



Nov. 17, 1936. M, KLUKER 2,060,995

MULTIFEED COIL Filed Sept. 11, 1953 INVENTOR Gv M. Kleuc Ker.

Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a refrigerant evaporator and more particularly to an improved multi-feed coil.

It is desirable to maintain refrigerant evaporator coils as nearly completely filled with refrigerant liquid as possible to increase the efficiency thereof. Difiiculty is usually encountered in fully accomplishing this result due to the gas which of necessity forms in the tubes during evaporation or boiling of the liquid. W'hile various attempts have heretofore been made to improve or effect a high degree of efficiency in evaporators, yet such prior attempts have been deficient in many respects.

It is one object of my invention to provide an improved evaporator whereby the coils thereof will be maintained at all times as nearly filled with liquid as is possible.

Another object is to provide an improved arrangement of multi-feed coils whereby the gas formed in any one coil or set of coils will be readily and easily discharged to a suitable header while the liquid will continue on to the next coil or set of coils which will also function in the manner of the other set of coils, namely, to promptly and easily discharge any gas into a header so as to free the remaining liquid in its passage to another set of coils, this mode of operation being continued through as many series of coils as desired.

A further object is to provide an improved system of coils whereby liquid passes therethrough in series but the gas is successively removed while allowing the liquid to continue in its series path. A more specific object is to have the series coils superimposed with the liquid initially admitted into the uppermost coil and then successively passed to the lower coils until it is finally discharged from the lowermost coils, the direction of fluid flow in the coils being, however, in an upward direction.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawing which is an elevational view of one specific form of coils and headers among possible others that my invention might take.

As shown, a high pressure liquid pipe I from a condenser or receiver flows through what is herein diagrammatically shown as an ejector tube 2 for drawing liquid upwardly through a pipe 3 from an accumulator 4. The combined liquid from pipes I and 3 flows into the lower pipe 4' of one set of coils generally indicated at 5. This coil may be of any suitable shape or size but irrespective thereof it is desired that the liquid be admitted to the lower portion thereof whereby the liquid will travel upwardly together with any gas formed by evaporation of the liquid to be discharged through an upper pipe 6 of the coil into a vertical pipe or bypass pipe 1. The gas discharged into this pipe will flow upwardly into a header 8 while the liquid will flow downwardly and into the lower pipe of a coil 9. Any gas formed in coil 9 will flow upwardly therethrough together with the liquid and then be discharged into a vertical pipe I0. Again the gas will flow upwardly through pipe I0 into header 8 while the liquid will flow downwardly to the lower pipe of another set of coils i I. The gas formed in this set of coils will also flow upwardly therethrough with the liquid, the gas discharging upwardly into pipe I2 and the liquid flowing downwardly in the lower pipe of a fourth set of coils l3. Gas formed in this coil together with any liquid will flow upwardly, the gas discharged into a vertical pipe l4 rising therein to header 8 while the liquid falls to accumulator 4. The liquid in accumulator 4 as above pointed out will be drawn upwardly through pipe 3 by the ejector action created by the inflow of fresh liquid from the condenser or high side as through pipe I. The header 8 may be provided with any suitable. valve controlled suction pipe IS. The upward flow of liquid in each coil keeps the same flooded.

Hence it is seen that I have provided relatively simple and yet highly effective means for causing gas in the coils to be substantially immediately completely separated from the flowing liquid thereby allowing the liquid to flow into its successive coils so as to maintain the same substantially full. In this manner the efficiency of the system is greatly increased together with minimum possibility of liquid being carried over into header 8 and from there to the suction side of the usual compressor not shown.

It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and rearrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A multi-feed evaporator comprising, in combination, a plurality of coils through which liquid refrigerant passes in series, means for successively removing evaporated gas from said coils without having it pass in series with the liquid, means whereby any unevaporated liquid in the last of said coils is recirculated in said series path through said coils, and means located above the level of said unevaporated liquid for adding new liquid to said recirculated liquid and of creating a partial vacuum on said unevaporated liquid to raise the same to the level of the newly added liquid whereby the combined liquid is then passed under liquid pressure directly into the first of said coils and thereafter flows in series through said coils.

2. A multi-feed evaporator comprising, in combination, a plurality of superimposed separated coils, means for initially feeding liquid to the lower portion of the uppermost coil and for discharging combined gas and liquid from the uppermost portion thereof thereby to efiect a positive circulation of liquid progressively through the entire cross-sectional area of said latter coil,

a vertical pipe connected into said uppermost portion whereby refrigerant gas flows upwardly through said vertical pipe and the liquid flows downwardly therethrough, said vertical pipe being connected to and in series with the lowermost portion of the next lower coil while the uppermost portion thereof is adapted to discharge refrigerant gas and liquid thereby to efiect a positive circulation of liquid progressively through the entire cross-sectional area of said latter coil, and another vertical pipe connected to said latter uppermost portion whereby refrigerant gas is conducted away from said coil in one direction and liquid is conducted away in another direction. GEORGE M. KLEUCKER. 

